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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. present — the time now
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. present — there
  6. shower — rain
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spell — magic
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. spell — a short time
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. present — a gift
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. face — to point toward
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — bread
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. stem — to come from

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com